Earlier this month, MLGW said xAI could need more power than the Tennessee Valley Authority, the region’s energy provider, can supply. 

The state appeals court affirmed that the city is protected from suit over claims that Memphis police allegedly failed to properly investigate when Cleotha Abston raped a woman in 2021.

The Memphis Fire Department said it and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been conducting “extensive off-site work, including detailed witness interviews and thorough video analysis.”

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and the Memphis Police Department temporarily shut down a business that has been the site of multiple homicides this year.

The City of Memphis moved for sanctions Tuesday, May 13, in response to a Monday statement from RowVaughn Wells’ legal team that said any discussion of the civil case bankrupting the city is fearmongering.

A trial date is forthcoming in the federal criminal case against Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. 

The firm has done work on stadium renovations around the country, including the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indianapolis Pacers.

Also happening this week: Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris brings his budget to County Commission, and a new Pilates studio opens.

Documents show artificial intelligence company xAI considered using dozens of natural-gas turbines to power the second data center. However, the Greater Memphis Chamber said the company is “is demobilizing turbines in Shelby County.”

“Over the next 24 months, I don’t know if there will be a more critical time to set the city up for success or failure,” Memphis City Council Budget Chair Chase Carlisle said.

The City Council tries to regulate Downtown parking garages and short-term rentals. 

The $111 million roundabout near Downtown separates Interstate 55 traffic from local traffic and has been discussed for more than 15 years.

MLGW said that it has discussed xAI using up to 1.1 gigawatts of power at its Tulane Road data center. However, MLGW said that amount of power is not poised to be delivered soon and is not formally being studied.

Memphis City Council members take the first of three votes Tuesday, May 6, on a proposal to fine the owners of Downtown parking garages who don’t maintain safety standards and pick up their trash.

In the latest installment of “Ask the Memphian,” we try to answer why Memphis seems to be overrun with temporary tags on cars. But it’s not just a Memphis problem.

Also happening this week: The Shelby County Commission meets on Monday, but a planned budget talk at the meeting has been delayed.

Due to a delay in collecting the increased car-registration fee, a county clerk misstep cost the city more than expected. Plus, there’s no money for Mud Island amphitheater renovation this year.

The collapse complicates efforts to preserve some part of the historic church that went up in flames April 28.

Anasa Troutman, the leader of the nonprofit directing the restoration of Clayborn Temple, said the building may be considered a “complete loss” by the Memphis Fire Department, but she said she isn’t using the term.

Firefighters will investigate the cause of the blaze but will also need to determine if any additional parts of the structure need to come down.

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Calkins: On Clayborn Temple’s final day, shaken Memphians came to pay their respects

“If history teaches us anything, it’s this: Clayborn Temple will rise again, because its foundation was never merely physical. It was spiritual. It was communal. And that foundation cannot be burned,” said NCRM President Russ Wigginton.

Robert Hodges, otherwise known as Prince Mongo from the planet Zambodia, has irked as many Memphians as he’s charmed throughout the years. But in an odd quirk of fate, he may well have changed Memphis history.

Also happening this week: The University of Tennessee Athletics’ department brings its “Big Orange Caravan” to Memphis.

Hundreds of people packed into Fairley High’s gymnasium in Whitehaven on Friday evening largely to vent their frustration about the artificial intelligence company’s use of natural gas turbines.

Chunrong Jia, a professor in the University of Memphis’ division of epidemiology, biostatistics and environmental health, modeled the impact of what xAI’s turbines would have on air quality in Southwest Memphis.